You’re curled up on the couch with a fuzzy blanket and yummy snack…ready to turn on a comforting movie. Sounds like the making of a relaxing evening at home, right? But the options for good films are endless! No worries because I made a list of some of the best nostalgic movies to watch.
It’s no secret that nostalgia is a complex emotion. Let’s be honest…plenty of reboots and remakes have come out in recent years to evoke that feeling for us (to sometimes an overwhelming degree). But it’s normal to feel nostalgic at times. We all have moments when we want to sit down and watch a movie that brought us comfort during childhood!
Keep in mind that this list is going to be subjective. I’m a millennial born in the early 90s and a child of DCOM movies. Films like The Cheetah Girls, High School Musical, and Halloweentown have my heart. If you’re reading this and near my age, I’m sure you’ll recall many of these movies. If not, please let me know what some of your favorite nostalgic movies are in the comments!
Aside from watching nostalgic movies, looking for more fun ways to relax at home?
I was named an expert in an ApartmentGuide article. Check out the featured 11 New Hobbies to Try at Home in 2025: A Guide to Fun and Creativity| ApartmentGuide (a Redfin subsidiary)
22 Best Nostalgic Movies To Watch
1. Sleepless in Seattle
On TikTok, people seem to agree that any Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan movie has the nostalgia factor. Sleepless in Seattle is about a widow (Sam) and his son (Jonah). Jonah calls into a radio talk show in the hopes of finding his dad a wife. The sweetest love story unfolds from that call. Fun fact: it is rumored that the movie was inspired by Delilah’s call-in radio show.
2. Spirited Away
What’s cozier than a Studio Ghibli film? I watched Spirited Away in college with friends, and it blew me away. In the movie, a young girl, Chihiro, and her parents get stuck in a supernatural world that looks like a deserted theme park. To free herself and her parents, Chihiro has to work in Yubaba’s bathhouse. Spirited Away is whimsical, meaningful, and great for adults and kids!
3. Aquamarine
This one is for all the girlies who grew up in the early to mid-2000s. I was a preteen when the movie came out, and it checked all the boxes for me. Two teenage girls find out that mermaids are real when Aquamarine washes ashore after a storm. Sara Paxton stole the show as Aquamarine, and was the ultimate mermaid. I remember loving the blue streaks in her hair!
4. Space Jam
You can’t have a nostalgic movies list without Space Jam! That’s because it’s such an epic film.
I mean it stars Michael Jordan and Danny DeVito…need I say more? Swackhammer and his team of evil aliens visit Earth to kidnap the Looney Tunes. Bugs Bunny suggests a basketball game to decide their fate. But the aliens steal the powers of NBA players, so Bugs goes to Michael Jordan for help. The movie is a classic and perfect for the whole family to enjoy!
5. The Mummy
I didn’t watch The Mummy until a few years back with my husband’s family. Many people online cite it as being one of the most nostalgic movies of the 90s. It’s about explorers looking for treasure in the Sahara Desert in 1925. They find an ancient tomb and unintentionally set free a mummy who is looking for his long-lost love. There are tons of twists and turns in this movie. I found myself holding my breath when I watched it!
6. Shrek
If I didn’t add Shrek to this list, millennials all over the world would riot. And rightfully so!
It’s such a fantastic movie! The film’s protagonist, Shrek, is a grumpy ogre who lives in a swamp. One day, his home is invaded by fairy tale characters who were banished by Lord Farquaad. To get their home back (and his own) Shrek makes a deal with Farquaad to save his bride-to-be, Princess Fiona. I’m biased, but it’s one of my favorite childhood movies and still holds up to this day.
7. The Princess Diaries
I have a soft spot for this film. I watched it probably about a million times as a little girl. It’s the ultimate fantasy about an ordinary teenage girl named Mia who finds out she’s a princess! Julie Andrews and Anne Hathaway have so much chemistry. It really feels like they are grandma and granddaughter. I also have to give a shout out to The Princess Diaries 2. Chris Pine as Mia’s love interest SHOOK little me to my core.
8. Seventeen Again
I know there’s 17 Again with Zac Efron (also a good film). But nothing beats the Tia and Tamera Mowry version in my humble opinion. In the movie, two divorced grandparents get turned into teens after their grandson’s lab experiment goes wrong! I also had a crush on Mark Taylor, the actor who plays Gene.
9. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Full disclosure…I have yet to watch this film! I know, I know…tragic. I haven’t gotten around to it yet, but many of my friends LOVE the movie. And it’s a classic for a reason. Buffy is about a cheerleader who finds out it’s her fate to slay vampires! With spooky season coming up soon, it’s the perfect time for me to finally watch it.
10. The Cheetah Girls
‘Cause we are sisters, we stand together! 🎵 This movie has my whole heart. It’s about four teenagers who want to achieve their dream of rising to fame with their music. When this movie came out, we didn’t know what to do with ourselves! My friends and I would try to memorize all of their dance moves and, of course, sing along.
11. Scream
Ah, yes…the king of campy horror films. Scream centers high school student, Sidney, and the anniversary of her mother’s murder. Ironically, she and her friends become the target of a serial killer, aka, Ghostface. I watched it a few years back, and I understand why it’s so beloved by horror fans.
12. The Lion King
One of the best nostalgic movies from Disney, ever. And always a tearjerker! It follows Simba, who is the heir of his father, Mufasa. The father and son duo are targeted by Simba’s evil uncle, Scar, who wants to take over the throne. The music and voice acting in this film are amazing. Hakuna Matata will never get old. Like many other folks, I am such a Timon and Pumbaa stan!
13. The Land Before Time
Oh my gosh, this movie is wholesome. And it’s about dinosaurs! I recommend it if you’re reading this and have children. Alejandro and I watched The Land Before Time again after seeing it as kids. We both still love it just as much! A young dinosaur named Littlefoot becomes an orphan after his mom passes away while protecting him. Just before she dies, she tells him how to get to the legendary Great Valley. The whole movie follows Littlefoot’s journey to this mysterious land.
14. Jaws
I also watched this movie with Alejandro’s family! (My husband is a big movie guy and has shown me so many good films that I felt hesitant to watch before I met him). I remember thinking, am I going to be interested in a movie about sharks? And yes, I was! To summarize, a killer shark brings a lot of mayhem to a small beach community!
I’m writing this post at the end of July, and I have to say that Jaws is perfect for a summer movie marathon with your pals.
15. Clue
Another campy horror movie. I must admit, I’m quite the fan of them. Clue is a classic “whodunit” film at heart. It’s about six guests who get anonymously invited to an eerie mansion for dinner. But their host gets murdered, and they all have to figure out who did it before there are more victims. This film is quirky, fun, and spooky!
16. Jurassic Park
An incredible 90s movie! In this film, an industrialist creates a theme park of cloned dinosaurs. What can possibly go wrong? One day, there’s a power failure and the creatures break free…leaving everyone in danger. This movie will keep you on the edge of your seat. And the CGI was revolutionary for its time. It still looks spectacular many years later! For that alone, it deserves a top spot as one of the best nostalgic movies.
17. Beauty and the Beast
It’s a tale as old as time. I have a core memory of watching this film on a trip to Boston last year. Alejandro and I stayed at the Omni Parker House. After a long day of sightseeing, it was on TV, so we decided to watch it. We both had seen the movie many times before as kids, but it was still just as magical in our 30s.
It centers Belle, a headstrong village girl and Prince Adam, a cruel prince who was turned into a beast. After The Beast imprisons Belle’s dad in his castle, she asks to take his place. She learns his staff are also enchanted, and with their help, Belle begins to see a different side of him.
18. The Parent Trap
In this film, Annie and Hallie meet each other at summer camp and discover they’re identical twins who were separated at birth. The girls decide that they’re going to devise a plan to get their divorced parents back together!
I still can’t believe Lindsay Lohan played two different people at such a young age! She’s always been talented, and I love that she is back doing movies again. Alejandro and I both thought her new Christmas movie on Netflix was a fun watch!
19. The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Believe it or not, I watched this movie for the first time last year. And I fell in love with it! The soundtrack?! Oh my goodness…all of the music in The Hunchback of Notre Dame is wonderful. The story is about Quasimodo who is a kind but isolated bellringer of Notre-Dame Cathedral because of his pronounced hunchback. I love his friendship with Esmeralda. And Claude Frollo is one of the scariest villains that I’ve ever seen in a Disney film.
20. The Haunted Mansion
I remember watching The Haunted Mansion at the movie theater with my cousins as a kid. And I had a blast! This film is honestly so underrated. It’s about Jim Evers, a workaholic real estate agent who gets summoned to a mansion with his wife and children. The family eventually finds out that the mansion is haunted and they need to find a way to escape! I’ve heard people call this film a “spooky comedy” and I agree.
21. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
“And all the girls dreamed that they’d be Ben’s partner! They’d be Ben’s partner!” 🎤
This film has made a resurgence in recent years thanks to TikTok. Lots of people on the internet have been using iconic clips from How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days in their content. That’s why Alejandro and I ended up watching it a couple of years back! I might have seen bits and pieces of the movie as a young girl, but I can’t remember. Now that I’ve watched it though, the movie is one of my favorite rom-coms ever.
It’s about an advice columnist, Andie Anderson, who is writing a piece about how to get a guy to breakup with you in 10 days. As she searches for a man to test out her experiment, Andy meets Ben Barry. Little does Andy know that Ben has his own agenda. He believes that he can make any woman fall in love with him in 10 days.
22. Pokémon the Movie 2000
Last but certainly not least on this list is a recommendation from Alejandro! That makes sense considering how many movies my husband has introduced me to since we’ve met. Pokémon the Movie 2000 is about Ash Ketchum and his quest to catch three powerful Pokémon birds in order to restore the world’s balance.
I love this movie list, there’s a good variation of everything 🥰. The Mummy and The Mummy Returns was definitely my comfort go to at one point in time. The Scream saga is my campy horror go-to. Shrek is just pure millennial nostalgia for me. I was surprised to see the Buffy The Vampire Slayer movie on here, it’s truly a classic!